A Basic Taiwanese Pork Braise, Reimagined for the On the spot Pot

I didn’t perceive the worth and attraction of a strain cooker till I turned a mom. Time has change into particularly treasured, and I discover myself frantically speeding round throughout my son’s temporary naps to meal-prep as a lot as I can. Careworn and quick on time, I’ve shortly tailored all my go-to recipes—resembling beef noodle soup and congee—for the On the spot Pot, to allow them to be made as shortly as doable. One of many first recipes I tailored for the strain cooker was lu rou fan (Taiwanese braised minced pork stomach), a comforting and deeply flavorful dish that has lengthy been a fixture in my kitchen.

The primary iteration of this recipe is in my cookbook Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Tales From the Island Nation. I discovered to make the dish from Lin Tai-Yu, the third-generation proprietor of Lin Household Braised Pork Over Rice within the Taiwanese metropolis of Tainan. Lin, who goes by Gloj, spends his days slowly simmering hand-diced pork in a candy and savory concoction of soy sauce, fried shallots, garlic, rice wine, and sugar. For the silkiest sauce, he recommends utilizing the fattiest slab of pork stomach you will discover, dicing it finely, and slowly simmering it over the range for hours. 

Earlier than I had my son, I took his recommendation to coronary heart. I made time to cube pork stomach into good, tiny squares, render out the fats in a wok, and pour within the soy sauce and aromatics. I’d then simmer all of it with the lid barely ajar and let the sauce slowly scale back over a number of hours till it turned thick, treacly, and completely balanced between savory and candy. That strategy meant I might management the speed of evaporation, and ensured the flavors of the dish might focus slowly and steadily with out dropping an excessive amount of moisture too shortly. Since my son’s arrival, although, I’ve needed to bid farewell to the times of idly tending to a wok—which is the place the On the spot Pot is available in.

The most important good thing about utilizing an On the spot Pot is that it’s hands-off and shaves off hours of cooking time. There’s no have to hover over the range, stirring and adjusting to ensure the pork doesn’t stick or burn. When you’ve used the sauté perform to sear the pork and bloom the aromatics, you possibly can seal the cooker and relaxation assured that dinner will probably be prepared in just a little over an hour. And whereas it cooks, you possibly can put together your rice and any aspect dishes you’d wish to serve the pork with. Right here’s how one can make it.

Adapting a Taiwanese Basic for the Stress Cooker

There’s a motive why seasoned distributors—those that have spent many years perfecting their craft—swear by the gradual simmer of a stovetop braise. The strain cooker, whereas environment friendly, modifications the alchemy of the dish as a result of there isn’t any fixed evaporation and the flavors develop on a a lot speedier timeline. The sauce doesn’t get as thick, and whereas the aromatics are briefly bloomed initially, they don’t proceed to caramelize and deepen in taste the way in which they might over a low, open flame. 

With the stovetop model, I’m additionally in a position to style and regulate as I am going alongside. With a strain cooker, there’s not a lot (if any) room to improvise on the fly. That stated, for those who hold the next ideas in thoughts, you’ll have the ability to make a braise that’s virtually nearly as good because the stovetop model. Simply keep in mind that strain cookers can fluctuate, so it’s possible you’ll want to cut back the sauce a bit extra and season to style on the finish.

The Measurement of the Pork Issues

Dicing pork stomach into small, uniform items permits the meat to prepare dinner evenly and maximizes the meat’s floor space, permitting it to soak up as a lot of the sauce as doable. Because the meat cooks, the fats renders, giving the braise a smooth, supple texture. Erratically reduce pork received’t break down as evenly, leading to a chunkier sauce that isn’t as velvety.

A pointy knife is important for reducing the pork properly. For ease, I wish to freeze the pork stomach for about an hour so it companies up however stays pliable, making it a lot simpler to cube. When you reside close to a pleasant butcher like I do, nevertheless, they could be glad to cube the meat for you and vacuum seal it in your most well-liked portion sizes. Maintain baggage of diced pork stomach in your freezer always, and also you’ll have the ability to make lu rou fan everytime you need.

Getting the Braising Sauce Proper

The braising liquid is simply as vital because the pork on this dish. Sugar and soy sauce are the principle elements, and although soy paste—a thick Taiwanese soy sauce that has successful of licorice—is conventional, I choose oyster sauce for its brininess. Rice wine brings depth and a touch of sweetness, and a beneficiant half cup of fried shallots offers wealthy savory notes with a touch of caramel.

Since all the pieces is cooked in a strain cooker, you may want much less liquid than a stovetop braise that reduces slowly over a number of hours. You need simply sufficient liquid to completely cowl the pork in order that it cooks totally. 

The strain cooker takes on the heavy lifting, effortlessly combining the rendered fats, succulent pork stomach, and fragrant braising liquid right into a harmonious dish. This On the spot Pot model will not be essentially the most conventional approach to make this dish, however it’s simply as scrumptious—and prepared in half the time.

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